by Rebecca Deel
Joe entwined his fingers with Sam’s and headed toward the pool deck. “I think we have a while before Thomas shows his face at the pool.”
“Why?”
“Not enough people to hide easily. This early in the morning, he’d stand out.”
“You might be right. We’ll stand out dressed as we are but I won’t lounge around the pool in a swimsuit when I might have to tackle this man to prevent him from hurting innocent people. If circumstances were different, this would be the perfect time to swim.”
“Not a fan of dodging beach balls and kids in the pool?”
“I don’t mind that when I’m enjoying some sun and water. Swimming laps is more difficult with kids nearby.” She smiled. “They don’t mind crossing into the lap lane to retrieve a pool toy. I’ve swallowed more than my fair share of pool water when a kid startled me.”
He slid her a sideways glance. “Have you thought about having children one day?”
Sam swung around to face him, eyes filled with wariness. “Do you want children?”
“Yes. My brothers and sisters have families and we have a ton of fun during the holidays when I’m not on a mission. I want a family of my own one day.” He urged her into motion again. “Do you want a family?”
Sam not wanting kids wasn’t a deal breaker. Joe was already in too deep to walk away now. However, he couldn’t help but long to see Sam holding their child in her arms. She would be an amazing mother. Talk about a fierce protector of her child. Sam would literally fight to the death to protect her family. That she had the skills to defend those she loved was a huge turn on for him.
“I love kids, but I’m not ready to walk away from Fortress yet. Having a family would be next to impossible with me gone for weeks at a time with Shadow. I don’t want to do that to my children. I know military moms do it all the time and I admire their courage and ability to nurture those kids while still serving and protecting our country. I don’t have it in me to do the same, not after the childhood I had. I need to be with my children every night.”
“But if you were ready to have a family?”
“I’d love to have a baby.” Her voice sounded wistful.
The tension in Joe’s body dissipated. “When the time comes, I think Maddox will find another role for you, one where you’re stationed in Nashville so you can be the type of mother you want. He’s always scrambling to staff the infirmary at Fortress headquarters. Maybe he would consider assigning you there.”
A slow smile curved Sam’s lips. “That’s a great idea. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“There’s no hurry. You’re young and have several years before you have to give it serious thought.”
She slid him a look. “I’m twenty-seven.”
He snorted. “I have seven years on you.” Made him feel old.
Her eyes widened. “That old? You’ll be needing a cane to walk and hair dye to cover the gray soon.”
Joe growled. “Hey, watch it.” When Sam’s laughter rang out in the stairwell, he gathered the medic against his side. He loved to hear her laugh.
On the pool deck, Joe pointed to the empty table under a large umbrella near the bar. “We’ll be out of the sun and able to see anyone who comes and goes.”
No sooner had he seated Sam and dropped into a chair himself when a steward appeared at their table.
“Good morning. What may I get for you?”
Joe requested iced coffee for both of them in deference to the heat already rising.
“What about breakfast? We have delicious muffins this morning. If you prefer something else, I’ll arrange a delivery from the kitchen.”
He was about to send the steward on his way when Sam asked, “What kind of muffins?”
“Blueberry, apple spice, or banana.”
“Oh, man. They all sound fantastic. Both of us will have one of each.”
When the steward hurried off, Joe stared at Sam. “We finished breakfast twenty minutes ago. Are you hungry again?”
She shook her head. “We have to look as though we’re doing something besides watching people around the pool. No one will question us being here for a cozy breakfast. The weather’s beautiful and newlyweds will want to spend as much time alone as possible.”
For a couple hours. Then what? Joe could eat every hour. On missions, you never knew when you’d have the chance to eat again. Sam didn’t enjoy eating all day.
The steward returned carrying a tray with their drinks, a basket of muffins, and two plates. “Here you are. May I bring you anything else?”
Sam laid her left hand on Joe’s. The sun glinted off her wedding band. “Not right now. Thank you.”
“If you need refills, let me know. My name is Jay.”
“I’m Sam and this is my husband, Joe. Thanks for the coffee and muffins.”
“My pleasure, ma’am.” With a nod at Joe, the steward returned to his station at the bar.
Joe slowly ate an apple spice muffin and sipped his coffee, enjoying the breeze and his companion. He nodded at her half-eaten blueberry muffin. “How is it?”
“The best I’ve ever tasted.” She smiled. “Wish I had more room in my stomach.”
“We’ll be here a while. You’ll have time to finish the muffins.”
“If I keep eating this much food, I’ll need to jog every day while we’re on board.”
Joe snorted. “You lost several pounds while you recuperated and haven’t regained them.” A fact he hoped to change over the length of the cruise.
She rolled her eyes. “If you think I plan to regain that weight, I’ll disappoint you. I like this weight on my frame.”
Joe held his peace though he longed to protest. Sam needed more weight to take down an opponent with greater height and weight.
“Sam!”
Joe looked over at the two approaching women and stood. “Good morning, Mrs. Cardwell, Mrs. Claiborne.”
Mrs. Cardwell smiled. “Please, call us Martha and Anne. May we join you this morning?”
“Of course.” He seated both ladies, much to their surprise and pleasure. “How do you feel, Martha?”
“Fit as a fiddle and embarrassed about the hubbub I caused yesterday.”
“We’re glad we had a chance to meet both of you,” Sam said, a twinkle in her eyes.
“Oh, you’re too kind, my dear.” Anne patted her hand. “I can’t imagine you want to spend your honeymoon with two old ladies.”
Joe smiled. “I see three beautiful women at this table.”
Martha fanned her face. “I understand why you married this one, Sam. He’s a keeper.”
“He is special,” Sam agreed. “That’s why I plan to keep him around the rest of my life.”
Joe’s head whipped her direction. Was she serious or just playing the role Maddox and Nico cooked up for them? Man, he’d give anything to hear her say those words when they were alone and mean them.
“Smart woman.” Anne nodded at her. “You have brains as well as beauty.”
Sam laughed as Joe continued to stare at her, wondering and generally driving himself crazy. He turned his attention to the sisters and asked where they were from and about their families. Might as well enjoy the time with the sisters and let them provide camouflage in case their suspect showed his face at the pool.
Two hours later, the conversation was still going strong. Joe kept tabs on the passengers who came and went.
He went on alert the moment a familiar dark-haired man stepped out on the pool deck with a white towel draped across his arm. He wore dark blue swim trunks and mirrored sunglasses, his head swiveling as he took in his surroundings and whether people noticed him.
Joe tapped Sam’s foot with his own. When she glanced at him, he inclined his head slightly toward Thomas.
Sam turned back to the women, listening to Martha talk about the value of reading a book a movie is based on before watching the film. When she paused, Sam said, “Martha, Anne, the heat is climbing fast out here. I’d love for you to meet o
ur friend, Nico. He’s married to Mercy. Would you eat lunch with us in the main dining room in thirty minutes?”
Anne looked at Martha. “She’s right. Your cheeks are red, Sis. Come on. We’ll enjoy the air conditioning, splash cold water on our faces, and cool down before lunch.”
Joe stood and helped the women to their feet. “Thanks for sharing breakfast with us. We enjoyed visiting with you.”
Martha patted his arm. “I haven’t had that much fun for a long time except with my sister. Thank you for indulging a couple of old women.”
“What old women?” He pressed her hand with his own. “I just see friends.”
“Come on, Martha,” Anne said. “We’ll see you and Sam in a few minutes, Joe.”
“If we’re late, find Mercy. She’ll be expecting you to have lunch with her.”
Martha’s eyes twinkled. “Oh, my. Honeymooners and young love. I remember those days.” With those words, the two sisters left the pool deck.
Once the ladies were safely inside the ship, Joe returned to his seat.
Sam blew out a breath, her cheeks flushed. “I wanted them out of danger. I hope you don’t mind.”
“I enjoy their company, Sparky.” He held out his hand to her. “You ready?”
“How should we do this? A lot of people are out here, including a bunch of kids. All of them are potential hostages.”
“I know. We don’t have a choice. Leaving him loose until he’s in a safer location is not an option.” He cupped her cheek and brushed his lips over her own. “I’ll text the others and have them ready to assist. After Ben and Trace are in place, we’ll run the same scenario we used in Columbia.”
“Might not be as effective. He’s in swimming trunks, not a tux.”
“The ruse will work. Thomas won’t want to stay by the pool with a drink all over him, especially when we draw attention to ourselves and him.” Joe slid his phone from his pocket and sent a text to his teammates. Nico’s response came a moment later. “Nico and Curt will meet us at the security office. Ben and Trace will be here in five.”
“Who’s going to be the klutz?”
“I have size 13 feet. I’d say I have the perfect excuse for tripping over the leg of a lounge chair.”
“But he’ll be less likely to spook if I do it. You’re a big man and a threat from sheer size alone. I doubt Thomas will see me as anything more than your arm candy.”
“He’s a fool if he misses your sharp intelligence and confidence. We’ll play it your way, though.”
In low voices, they ran through different scenarios to anticipate his reaction, counter his moves, and contain the danger. Like Sam, Joe was concerned about the number of innocents around the pool, especially the children. If he was desperate enough, Thomas could hurt one of the kids.
At the five-minute mark, Trace and Ben arrived and stationed themselves at different vantage points.
“Go time, Sam.” Joe raised her hand to his and kissed the back of it. “We’ll ask the bartender for a glass of lemonade and make sure Thomas wants to leave the pool area to shower off the sticky mess.”
After they obtained the lemonade, Joe and Sam started toward Thomas.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Sam drew in a steadying breath as she and Joe approached the suspected killer. Although the idea of touching this man made her skin crawl, Sam knew she’d made the right choice when Thomas’s head turned their direction. She’d bet her next paycheck he was focused solely on Joe. There were advantages to being female. Men tended to underestimate her to their regret. She sipped the lemonade and gave a moan of appreciation.
Joe glanced down at her. “Is it good, baby?”
Amusement ripped through her. Baby? Sparky trumped that endearment any day. She smiled and decided to pay him back in kind. “Oh, sugar, it’s wonderful. Here. Try it.” Sam stopped beside Thomas’s lounge chair, handed the glass to Joe, and watched him sip the concoction as she kept the other man in her peripheral vision. Thomas had stiffened, his hand clenching the towel at his side. Their suspect was antsy. Good thing they waited for Ben and Trace to arrive before moving on Thomas.
Her partner’s eyebrows rose. “We’ll ask Jay for the recipe. This is great. I would enjoy having a pitcher of this in our refrigerator at home.”
She took back the glass and turned to continue toward the interior of the ship. Sam’s foot caught on the lounger. She stumbled and fell across Thomas’s legs, spilling part of her cold drink on the man’s chest, stomach, and swim trunks. “I’m so sorry. I’m such a klutz. Are you all right?”
“Get off me,” the man snapped, anger and disgust vying for dominance in his voice.
Instead of complying, Sam settled more of her weight on his legs while she fumbled with the glass and in the process spilled more of the lemonade.
Thomas cursed and reached for her.
Joe inserted himself between them. “Did you hurt yourself, babe?”
“I’m fine. I need a hand up, though. I’m stuck.” She controlled the legs attempting to kick free of her. Rats. Wrestling with Thomas hurt more than the last time she and Joe used this scenario. Sam would be glad when she healed completely. Patience, she reminded herself. The healing rate inside the body was much slower than the outside. She was getting there. That had to be enough for now.
Trace approached in his borrowed security uniform. “Everything okay here?” he asked, gaze locked on Thomas’s hands.
“We’re fine,” Thomas groused. He stilled his jerky movements to shake free of Sam. “The lady dumped her drink on me. No harm done.”
“We’re sorry about that,” Joe said. He grabbed a towel. “Here. Let me wipe off the mess. Can we buy you a drink to make up for dousing you in lemonade?”
“That’s not necessary.” The man tried to push away Joe’s hands. “I’ll take care of wiping up the mess myself.”
Between Sam, Joe, and Trace, Thomas didn’t have a chance to slip away and hide.
“No, I insist. It’s the least I can do.” Ignoring his renewed cursing, Joe leaned down and wiped lemonade from Thomas’s chest. When he finished, Joe tossed the towel aside and leaned closer to the suspect. In a low, clear voice, he said, “Get up and come with us right now.”
Thomas froze, his body tense. “What?”
“You heard the man,” Trace murmured. “If you run, we’ll take you down and haul you off to the brig.”
“I don’t understand. What do you want with me?” The tightening of his facial muscles highlighted the lie.
Joe gripped one of his arms, Trace the other. Sam scrambled off Thomas, her attention focused on keeping the kids away from a potential altercation.
“We have questions and you have the answers.” Joe hauled the man up with Trace’s help. The two operatives marched Thomas off the deck with him repeating that he didn’t know anything. Ben met them at the door to the interior of the ship. He went ahead of them and prevented other passengers from walking too close.
Rather than chance Thomas breaking loose in the stairwell, Joe and Trace led him to the elevator. An uneventful elevator ride later, the operatives walked him to the security office with Thomas protesting the entire way. The closer they came to the office, the more the man struggled to escape. Thomas definitely knew the layout of the ship and where the security office was located.
Thomas didn’t declare his innocence, just repeated over and over that he didn’t know anything and they were wasting their time with him.
Ben opened the door to the security office and Joe and Trace escorted Thomas inside the room. Sam shut the door behind them.
Winestock glowered at the man before glancing at Joe. “This our guy?”
“We’ll find out. Do you have another room available?” One where they could interrogate their suspect in privacy. Wouldn’t do to have a passenger walk in on them.
The security chief inclined his head toward the door on the left side of the main office.
Nico signaled Ben and Trace to resume their shi
ft duties. Once they left the security office, Nico led the way to the other room. Although Thomas struggled in earnest, Joe easily countered every move and propelled him to the interior room.
Winestock walked to the room with the bank of security screens and had a low-voiced conversation with one of the men at the desk. When the employee turned, Sam recognized Chip. The younger man lifted his chin when he saw Sam, admiration in his gaze.
By the time she walked inside the interrogation room, Joe had seated Thomas at the table and zip-tied his hands to the chair.
“What’s going on?” Thomas asked. “I don’t know what you want with me.” His demeanor had changed from puzzled to outright sullen.
Nico took the piece of paper in his hand with Thomas’s picture and laid it on the table in front of the man. “You’re a passenger on the Pacific Star. Why were you wearing the uniform of a steward?”
Thomas swallowed hard and shook his head. “That’s not me. You have the wrong man.”
Not him? Sam stared at the man. Sure looked like him. If it wasn’t, why was he perspiring?
“It’s you.” Nico folded his arms across his chest. “Why are you pretending to be a cruise line employee?”
“You’re part of the security team?”
“Answer the question,” Joe snapped from his position behind the man’s back. Thomas jumped at Joe’s cold, angry tone. “Why are you pretending to be a steward?”
“I’m telling you that isn’t me.”
“You’re such a lair, dude. I don’t like liars.”
Winestock shook his head. “This is a waste of time. I say we call law enforcement as soon as we dock at the next port. I want this clown off the ship. Better for him to rot in a local jail than run the risk of him hurting anyone else.”
“You don’t have anything on me.”
Nico shook his head. “Wrong, Thomas, or whatever your real name is. You’re on camera where an incident occurred. Same time, same place.”
“That’s it?” he scoffed. “I don’t know about a crime. You have no right to hold me. I’ll sue you for every penny you’re worth.”